Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.

Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline rush of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard Cat tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever…and Bones won’t let her get away again.

It was a horrid cliff-hanger end to Halfway to the Grave, leaving us readers hooked on what would happen next. Now four years later, Cat is working for the government and hasn’t seen her lover Bones in far too long. She knows the risks and made the hard choice to protect the ones she loves. Cue vamp hunting missions, the introduction of Ian, Bone’s sire, and a tense wedding. But fans of the first book, like myself, are no doubt sitting there wondering: “Where the hell is Bones?!”

It’s cool, guys. He comes back. Eventually.

Frost waited nine whole chapters – NINE – before bringing back our favorite Brit. Granted, by the time I read those chapters I was more than eager to return to the dynamic duo of Cat and Bones, so the wait was well worth it. With the return of Bones, the story went from tense and average to action-packed. Bones has a bone (pardon the pun) to pick with Cat after she left him those four years before, and he won’t take no for an answer. They pick things up where they left off in Halfway to the Grave and I couldn’t have been happier.

The thing that works for these books isn’t necessarily the plot. Sure, Frost gave us lots of ups and downs, throwing her characters into the fire countless times, keeping me hooked throughout the entire novel. But the characters really do it for me. Cat’s sarcasm and bold streak take the typical urban fantasy heroine up a notch. When I finish a Night Huntress book, I remember Cat. I remember her sass, her tenacity, her drive to protect her loved ones no matter the cost to herself. And, of course, her love of gin and tonic. The same can be said for Bones. I love that he’s the literary Spike as Cat is to Buffy. I’m a fan of the show, and still re-watch it occasionally, but while there are definite similarities between the two hot vamps, they’re not exactly the same. Bones knows who he is. He doesn’t try to deny his past or lie about it, and he genuinely cares about Cat to the point that many of his decisions involving placing himself at risk for her benefit. If you’re looking for a literary guy to swoon over, he’s your man.

In terms of a sequel, One Foot in the Grave lived up to (and exceeded) my expectations. The plot moved fast, with death threats looming over Cat’s head each way she turned. Even with Bones by her side and a team of trained soldiers at her back, they have to work together to plan a way to escape the hands of Ian as well as track down the second party trying to kill Cat. Little does she know that her killer might fall closer to home than she ever expected. The fighting gets gruesome at times, but they all come out swinging. And plus, the romance. If the sexual tension so thick you could cut through it wasn’t enough, wait until Chapter 32. As a warning, if you can’t handle the hot and heavy action of Bones’ former profession, you may want to skip it because holy hotness Batman….

If you already read (and loved) Halfway to the Grave, then you don’t need my convincing to read this book, or the rest of the series. For those of you who may have been skeptical about book one, you should be out buying One Foot in the Grave as we speak. So get up, get down to your local bookstore or library, and read these books!